Religion Revisited

As I grow older my opinion on religion keeps changing. I do find theology and our enslavement to it very fascinating.

I will make a few observations:

• Physics - I do not believe any being can break the laws of physics. If the laws are broken that just means we didn't fully understand them or there are more laws to be discovered.
• Technology - For a being to do some super power cool thing, like read our minds, there must be some sort of technology in place. Perhaps it's so advanced we don't understand it. If a supreme being is not using technology, then maybe he's listening to us from another dimension.
• Magic - If you tell me your god can do amazing things, like heal sick people, and he can do it without physics or technology, then, by default, he's using magic. When I was a child I went to my friend Neil's birthday party, and his parents hired a magician to entertain us. I was absolutely amazed at the tricks. But, that's just it — the magician was just doing tricks, so it's not magic. Perhaps our entire existence is just a clever trick.

Jesus Christ Superstar

I've read most of the Old Testament and have read the New Testament several times. I went regularly to church most of my life. I was a youth leader, Sunday School teacher, Christian camp leader, church newsletter editor, and ministry leader. In 1996 I was ordained as a lay leader and still have the paperwork. So, I can tell you that I know the Bible pretty well. I can say that the Jesus of the New Testament and the typical conservative evangelical are a complete mismatch. The Jesus I believe in was a cool hippy who hung out with the outcasts of society and fought against the establishment. He was a good socialist who lived communally with his followers. The American version of Christianity is obsessed with a certain version of morality, which is more aligned with the dominant white culture. It's a big culture war between overeducated urban dwellers and minorities against good American country folk. Strangely, the Christians in America have become the establishment. They have built complex religious institutions and have jumped into politics, where they try to force their moral values into public policy.

Anyway, I'm not sure if Jesus ever existed or if he is a composite of several characters. But the Jesus as depicted in the Bible is an overall cool guy, and I believe in him. 

Ultimately, I have to go with whatever Dr. Bart D. Ehrman says, as he is the most distinguished and respected scholar on the New Testament. I've read some of his articles and watched some of his lectures on YouTube. If he says that Jesus Christ is a fictional character, then I must go with that.

Intellectual Dishonesty

I wrestle with the pros and cons of religion all the time. One the one hand, religious groups are doing great good in the world. But, ultimately, their whole premise is built around a lie, and I don't believe any good can ever come of that. Most religious people simply perpetuate the belief system that was drilled into them as a child. I look forward to the day when American churches are like Scandinavian churches. I've seen a few times where ministers in Denmark and Sweden are asked if they believe in god, and they respond "no." But they continue to do great work in their communities. Hopefully, U.S. churches will soon be like that, and also more into helping and less into politics.

Mythology Packages

I know that my post here will offend some people. But please don't be offended. Just show me the slightest proof that your god exists and I'll become your most zealous member. Everyone carries with them what I call "mythology packages," which are a collection of stories. Religion is weird to me because it simply stamps certain belief systems as "legitimate," and then the leaders of those belief systems are given a license to lie. If I told you that Zeus would save your soul, some people would throw their drinks in my face. But if I say "Jesus Christ will save your soul," well, that falls under the "religion" package, and I become a cool guy.

As one famous skeptic said, "Religion does some good and does some bad, but it does more bad than good." I think eradicating these primitive belief systems from the planet is important to humanity's forward progress. Ancient goat herder religions have tied us down long enough. Let's move forward!

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